Mechanical Designer - Product Development

JB Poindexter & Co•Ann Arbor, MI

13d

About The Position

J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. (JBPCO) is a privately held, diversified manufacturing company forecasting over $2.5B in annual revenues and employing over 8,000 team members. The six operating subsidiaries, covering 60 locations, are engaged in the production of commercial truck bodies, step-vans, utility trucks, ambulances, electric and alternative fuel vehicles, and expandable foam plastic packaging. We are the Corporate Engineering and Product Development organization within JB Poindexter & Co., supporting nine business units across the company’s portfolio of commercial vehicle and upfit solutions spanning Class 1-7 vehicles. The team develops and launches innovative products and technologies across a diverse range of applications and end markets. We operate in a highly dynamic, project-based environment, managing programs ranging from rapid design and prototype cycles to complex multi-year product launches, while partnering closely with business units, customers, suppliers, manufacturing teams, and purchasing. We are seeking a hands-on Mechanical Designer with 3-5 years of experience to join our Corporate Engineering team. This role is intended for an engineer who is strong in mechanical design and CAD and can take product concepts from requirements through detailed design, prototype build, validation, and design release. The position will focus on commercial vehicle bodies, mechanical systems, fabricated components, and custom product-development projects across multiple JBPCO business units. The ideal candidate combines SolidWorks-based design capability with practical knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, design for manufacturability, BOM/change control, prototype support, testing, and engineering problem-solving.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, or a closely related technical field.
3-5 years of experience in mechanical engineering, product design, CAD design, or related product-development work; automotive, commercial vehicle, transportation, or industrial equipment experience is preferred.
Strong proficiency in SolidWorks for 3D part design, assemblies, and 2D drawings.
Working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, engineering drawing practices, and ASME drafting standards.
Experience designing parts for one or more manufacturing processes such as sheet metal fabrication, welding, machining, casting, injection molding, or additive manufacturing.
Experience with engineering BOMs, design release, revision control, and engineering change processes.
Hands-on experience supporting prototypes, product builds, fit checks, testing, or manufacturing troubleshooting.
Understanding of DFM/DFA, DFMEA, DVP&R, product lifecycle, and formal product-development processes.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation, presentations, and cross-functional design reviews.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to work effectively across multiple projects and priorities.
Ability to travel periodically to JBPCO business units, suppliers, customers, or test locations as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with commercial vehicle body design, upfit systems, heavy-duty vehicles, or fleet applications.
Experience with SolidWorks PDM Enterprise or another CAD/PDM/PLM system.
SolidWorks certification or formal GD&T training/certification.
Experience with FEA or design-simulation tools such as SolidWorks Simulation, COMSOL, ANSYS, or similar.
Experience with fabricated metal structures, sheet metal, weldments, injection-molded components, or plastic part design.
Practical fabrication, machining, assembly, or shop-floor experience.
Familiarity with automotive and commercial vehicle standards such as SAE, ISO, FMVSS, ASME, and ASTM where applicable.
Experience supporting supplier tooling, prototype builds, production launch, or field-failure corrective actions.

Responsibilities

Develop 3D CAD models and assemblies for commercial vehicle bodies, mechanical systems, fabricated metal and plastic components, brackets, enclosures, mounting structures, and related product hardware.
Create and release detailed 2D engineering drawings using proper dimensioning practices and GD&T.
Perform tolerance stack-up analysis and evaluate fit, function, assembly variation, and interface requirements.
Apply sound mechanical design principles to improve strength, durability, serviceability, manufacturability, and cost.
Support CAD standardization across business units, including SolidWorks templates, settings, metadata, drawing practices, and shared design methods.
Work within SolidWorks PDM or similar product-data-management environments to maintain controlled CAD and drawing records.
Develop product documentation including drawings, engineering BOMs, control drawings, build documentation, and other design-release deliverables.
Create and maintain engineering Bills of Materials and support engineering change-control activities.
Support concept development, design reviews, prototype design, design release, and handoff to manufacturing.
Assist with DFMEA, DVP&R, gate-review deliverables, requirements tracking, and other activities within a formal product-development process.
Support value engineering and product cost-reduction activities while maintaining performance and quality requirements.
Work closely with prototype, fabrication, manufacturing, and purchasing teams to ensure designs are practical to build and assemble.
Provide design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly guidance for sheet metal, machined parts, molded plastics, castings, welded structures, and other relevant manufacturing processes.
Participate in hands-on prototype builds, fit checks, design debugging, dimensional reviews, and validation activities.
Use 3D printing and other rapid-prototyping methods for concept evaluation, fixtures, and low-volume components when appropriate.
Collaborate with suppliers on feasibility reviews, manufacturability, tooling considerations, cost, quality, and design improvements.
Support mechanical and structural analysis, including FEA or similar simulation tools when appropriate.
Evaluate designs for high-load, high-vibration, durability, environmental, and field-use conditions common to commercial vehicles.
Support system and subsystem testing and assist with root-cause analysis of prototype, validation, manufacturing, or in-field failures.
Develop and implement corrective design actions based on test results, dimensional findings, manufacturing feedback, and field observations.
Perform competitive benchmarking, reverse engineering, and VAVE activities to identify design and cost opportunities.
Collaborate with mechanical engineers, CAD designers, electrical engineers, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, suppliers, and business-unit teams.
Communicate with internal customers and external customers to gather requirements, present design concepts, and provide technical recommendations.
Manage multiple design and engineering activities simultaneously in a fast-paced, project-based environment.
Provide technical support and guidance to interns, junior engineers, and other team members when needed.